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E. B. WESTON.

DISPLAY RACK.

APPLICATION FILED 050.24, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

UNITED STATES- PATENT orricn.

EDWARD B. WESTON, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE- ASSIGNMENTS, .TO

NATIONAL BISCUIT COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,'A CORPORATION OF- JERSEY.

; DISPLAY-RACK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' PatentedOct-.21,1919.

Application filed December 24, 1917. Serial No. 208,573.

To all whom z'tmay concern: v

Be it known that I, EDwARn B. WESTON,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Dayton, in the county of Montgomcry and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Display- Racks, of which -the "following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification; 7

My invention relates to display racks and more particularly to racks such .as are used vided with glass covered openings to dis-- play the goods therethrough, and the racks upon which the containers are mounted are arranged to allow the boxes to'be held in a slanting position partly tipped forward to give ready and convenient access and to display the goods through the glass top.

One object of my invention is to furnish a wooden rack for such containers, or for a different form of container, the racks constituting sectional units, so that as many of the racks may be utilized as desired, which can be shipped in lmockdowir condition, with the parts nested together to take but little space, and to provide a flat package, and in which the minimum number of parts and the simplicity of the construction will enable the retailer to erect a rack ready for use, without any mechanical ability whatever. Another object of my invention is to provide a rack in which horizontal rods are provided, on which permanent lids for the boxes are hinged, these rods preferably being brace rods for holding together the sides of the rack. With such a construction the metal boxes with hinged tops previously used may be dispensed with, and simple and inexpensive paper boxes or cartons utilized, from which the paper tops may be removed, and the boxes covered as they rest on the rack by the metal covers with glass panels, which are hinged to the rack. By this means, paper boxes may be used which would .not be strong enough to have metal lids hinged thereto individually. Also paper boxes would not alone present a 'sufciently attractive appearance for display purposes, but with my construction the boxes are out of sight beneath the metal and glass tops hinged-to the rack, which tops may be made of exceedingly pleasing appearance.-

The cheap paper boxes when emptied may be thrown away and replaced with filled cartons from stock, thus doing away with the necessity of having dealers return empty boxes, as is now the custom.

The hinged tops should be arranged to always register with the p aperboxes when opened, and sufiicient play should be allowed at the hinge connections to allow for inequalities in the sizes of the boxes, etc., so

that the tops will always make dust-proof closures when in'their lowered or closing positions. The hinged tops may be arranged to fitov'er the usual metal boxes if desired, as well as the paper boxes.

In the drawingsfonning part of this specification, and illustrating one embodiment of my invention, Figure 1. is a front elevation of my improved rack, with the display boxes in place..

F g. 2 s a side elevation of same. Fig. 3 1s a top plan view.

Fig. 4 isa longitudinal section, taken on the lines 4-74: of Fig. 2, with the boxes removed.

Fig. 5 is a transverse section, taken on the I llnes 55 of Fig. 1, w1th the boxes removed.

inside of the side pieces. for the reception of the shelves 7, '7. These shelves are interchangeable and are beveled at the front and rear edges 8, 8, so that for the front edge the shelves will be flush with the front edge of the standards, and the rear edge will rest on the gains 5. A pair of shelves is emfor the intermediate shelves these rods 10 i are located aboutat the angle of the intersection of the planes of the'sloping shelves. For the top, a shelf 12 is employed, which merely rests on top of the upper side pieces, being cut out so as to fit between the side standards. The side standards for each side are provided with the supporting foot portions 13. The .shelves slide loosely in the grooves 6, 6, the brace rods 10 are located in place and tightened with the thumb nuts, which draws the sides together and furnishes a very strong and rigid structure.

For the brace rod at the, bottom, if this brace rod were located at the angle of the shelves as provided for the intermediate shelves, it would either require a side support of such a depth as to raise the bottom shelves too high from the floor, or it would bring the brace within the foot portions 13, which would leave the thumb nuts projecting beyond the side of the rack.

Inasmuch as it is intended that a number of these racks may be placed side by side in sectional form, the lowermost brace rod islocated as indicated in Figs. 2 and 5, at one sideof the medial line. Two holes are provided in the bottom panel of each side standard, so that the standards will be interchangeable, one hole an equal distance to the right and the other an equal distance to the left, so that the grocer in setting up the rack can use either hole forthe brace rod, thus obviating right or left standards. I

The brace rods 10, except the lowermost one, serve also as pintles for hinging the flanged tops 14. The box itself for holding the goods can then be made of cardboard,

and the goods packed therein at the factory without the necessity of using a permanent tin box, as has heretofore been required, and as the goods are disposed of, filled cartons can replace the old. The flanged lids usually are provided with glass covered openings 15 for the display of the goods, and the lids remain permanently on the racks.

The hinges on the covers 14; are loose fitting on the rods 10 so that differences in size of the paper cartons due to war ing or shrinkage or otherwise will not a ectthe fit of the covers, and the lids or covers when lowered will always find and seat over the boxes, even should they be shifted sidewise on the shelves. Moreover the flanges are preferably of substantial width so that when raised the flanges will still engage the sides of the box, and when lowered and seating by gravity, a practically dustproof closure will be obtained. It is also evident that as located on the shelves, the angle of the cover serves to conceal the paper carton.

This construction of rack lends itself to the form of a knockdown package with the pa'rts nested together as illustrated in Figs.

6 and 7. 4

Each rack section is preferably constructed to hold six boxes in all, with two on-a shelf, and as the supporting shelves are all interchangeable, in packing the rack for shipment, the two end pieces made up of standards and side pieces are placedv to gether,-and space is left between the side pieces,'which are only half the thickness of the standards, for nesting the six shelves as indicated in Fig. 7, while the beveled off edges of the shelves leave space for the reception of the braces 10. The entire rack can therefore be made into a flat package of the thickness of the two ends or side standards of the rack, except the top'shelf 12, which can be laid on top of the standards as indicatedin Fig. 7. A very simple crate can then be employed to .hold together the several pieces and the rack can be shipped in very convenient form.

In-setting up the rack, inasmuch as the supporting shelves are interchangeable, any shelf can be located in any set of grooves 6,

and the inside bevel on the shelf will come to rest on the gain on theinside of the side pieces. The side pieces having the horizontal gain, render the manufacture of the rack inexpensive and enable themanufacturer to cut the gain before assembling and securing the side pieces. .Having located the shelves, the two covers for each rod are slid on the rods and the rods passed through the side pieces and tightened withthe thumb nuts. 1

- This draws the ends together and locks the shelves in place, so that a strong and rigid structure is the result. By constructing the rack of' little morethan twice the height as compared with the width, there is ample room for the reception of the shelves in nested condition for shipment.

. Having thus described my invention,

Letters Patent, is: I 1

1. In a display rack for cartons, the com bination of side standards, cross supports between them for retainin carbons in a slanting position remova' ly positioned thereon, lids for the cartons, and brace rods for the side standards located at. positions to serve as pintles for the said lids.

2. A display rack comprising standards having opposed slanting grooves therein, side pieces having gains to serve as the bases what I claim as new and desire to secure by fit the'grooves and abut on the gains, and

- means for drawing the standards together.

' secting planes, and rods extending across- 3. A display rack having side standards, side pieces connecting them together at the sides of the rack, with theside pieces inset, and. slanting grooves in the standards, shelf members to fit said grooves, and brace rods through the side pieces adapted to draw said standards together, said rods having clamping nuts within the outside of the rack, whereby a knockdown rack is provided adapted also for a unit of a sectional assembly;

4. A display rack having side standards, side pieces connecting. the standards together and set inside the edges thereof, and slanting grooves in the standards, shelf members to fit said grooves, said side standards being of a length and width so as to receive the shelves in the space betweensaid side pieces and'the edges of the said. standards during shipment, whereby a flat knockdown package is provided.

5. A display rack comprising s1de standards, shelves extending in pairs between the side standards, one pair above'the other, the shelves of each pair being set in interbetween the side standards, at approximately the intersections of the planes of the pairs ofshel ves to serve as hinge pintles for a series'of permanent lids for cartons placed on the pairs of shelves.

6. A display rack comprising side stand ards, removable and interchangeable shelf members, said side standards having means for "s'eatiITg the shelf members at an angle, and brace rods for drawing the side standards together, said rods extending across between the standards at suitable positions for acting as pintles for lids to be hung thereon adapted to cover boxes on the cross boards. 7

7; A display rack comprising side standards, removable and interchangeable shelves arranged in pairs, means in the side standards for seating the shelves of each pair in intersecting planes, brace rods for drawing the side standards together, said rods extending, across between the standards at ap-,

proximately the line of'intersection of the planes of the shelves, the lowermost of said rods being set to one side of said line of intersection, whereby'ashorterbase for the rack may be provided.

8. A display rack for cartons, comprising supports to hold. cartons, cross rods to brace the supports, and permanent carton .lids with hinges therefor slidable laterally on the cross rods, the; lids provided with s1de flanges to engage the cartons when the lids are raised.

9. A disp-layra'ck for cartons,

comprising. supports to hold cartons, and cross rods to brace the supports, and a series of individual permanent carton lids hingedon the cross rods, with the lids provlded with flanges along a substantial portion of the sides thereof, and the hinges thereof so positioned that the flanges will fit over the cartons at their rear edges when the covers are raised.

T EDWARD? B. WESTON. 

